Beach hotels in California, United States

My wife and I visited Catalina Island for our 28th anniversary — our first time back since before we were married in 1997. We chose the Catalina Canyon Inn specifically for the pool, jacuzzi, on-site restaurant, and shuttle service. Their website is very nice and seemed like a perfect match for the occasion. Unfortunately, very little matched what was advertised. Shuttle: The shuttle was not waiting at the Catalina Express port when we arrived on the last ferry Saturday evening which was unexpected. Four of us were left waiting in the dark for about 20 minutes until the other couple called the hotel. The driver was friendly and apologized, but this set the tone for the weekend. The shuttle was consistently unreliable throughout our stay. They tell you to call the driver directly, but he often didn't answer. You'd end up having to call the hotel instead, and the shuttle only seemed to come after someone went inside and told the front desk in person. At one point we waited 45 minutes. Some guests got frustrated and just decided to walk, but the hotel sits at the top of a steep hill — not a realistic option, especially for older guests like us. Their website suggests the shuttle runs regularly, but that was far from our experience. Restaurant: We arrived at the restaurant at 7:30 PM Saturday and were turned away, even though their website says they're open until 8:00 PM. We had to rush down the hill to find dinner to-go in town before the shuttle stopped running at 8:45. It was a shame we didn't even have time to stay and eat on our anniversary or face having to trek up that hill. The next morning I mentioned this to the restaurant owner, who insisted they closed at 8:00 and that she was there. She then told us the restaurant closes at 2:00 PM on Sundays — so dinner there that night wasn't an option either. She was very friendly though I must say. On Monday we finally had breakfast before checkout. The food was mediocre and didn't match the glowing reviews at all. The prices were also odd — $12 for mozzarella sticks, $20 for nachos, but only $11 for pulled pork sliders, which you'd expect to be the pricier item. The pricing just didn't add up. While we were there, another couple was turned away at 1:30 PM because the restaurant closes from 2–4 on Mondays. We could feel their frustration. Jacuzzi: The jacuzzi we were looking forward to was covered up and converted into a gazebo with chairs. At first we couldn't find it but yea. No mention of this on the website. Room issues: The soap dispenser in the shower was empty. The front desk told us we can mention it to housekeeping, who didn't come until after 5:00 PM. We got the soap and a couple fresh towels. The towels themselves were thin and didn't dry well overnight so fresh ones were sorely needed to get at least one shower in with soap before we had to leave the next day. The TV didn't work at all, and the microwave was unplugged — though I was able to fix that myself. The hotel also doesn't offer complimentary coffee, which is standard at most hotels we've stayed at for half the price. The good: The staff was friendly, the bed was comfortable, the A/C worked well, and the balcony was a nice touch. The room was quiet. Bottom line: The website gives a very different impression than what you actually get. Between the unreliable shuttle, limited and unpredictable restaurant hours, missing amenities, thin towels, and no coffee, this was not the anniversary experience we hoped for. I'd recommend staying somewhere closer to downtown so you're not dependent on a shuttle and stuck with limited options. I think we need to redo our anniversary. It was a miss for sure.

The hotel is located on a peninsula, with the bay front and back, and the scenery is beautiful. It is a few kilometers away from downtown, so it is convenient to drive to shopping and eating. There is a parking lot downstairs for 30 knives a day. The front desk service attitude is very good, and the check-in is very fast. The room facilities are a bit old, and there is a small balcony with a sea view. The bathroom is generally clean, but a cockroach was found in the bathroom.

This motel is quite large. We just happened to catch up with the holiday price of the Christmas holiday. It is a little inconvenient that the room does not have a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Heating the food should go to the public area.

The location of the model is perfect. It puts you really close to the attractions. The pool is also good.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱. I stayed there for 2 weeks, working from home during the day, going out at night. Pros: - excellent value for the comfort and amenities at under $65/night - great desk & comfortable chair for laptop work - nice modern Philips large-screen TV you can connect to via HDMI - the Internet was ok (~10Mbps) but disconnected daily (reconnecting the WiFi restored it) - pretty quiet considering the proximity to the freeway: just white noise, haven't heard any revving or sirens - walls don't provide much sound insulation but I've heard only ONE neighbor conversation during my 2-week stay. It did help that I chose a room on the top floor, and next to the janitorial room (#522) - the wall-mounted A/C was surprisingly quiet, and heating worked fast - ventilation was okay if you keep the window open about 1ft - only saw 3 flying insects, and a crawling one in the shower - clean room, only found a few hair strands in the shower - mini-fridge was quiet and held a week's worth of food - great use of space: 4 large drawers, rack with clothes hangers, space for suitcases to be out of the way, 2 mirrors - the staff was very kind of provide a microwave, can opener, paper plates - pool was clean - two hot tubs were great, and MUCH cleaner than my friend's who stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott next door - coin-operated laundry on site ($2.50 + $2.50 W/D, $1.50 laundry soap) - nice landscaping and you could smell eucalyptus trees Neutral: - the pool/hot tub area closed at 10pm - there's nothing to do in the walkable area (just other hotels), but North Park is only a $10 Uber ride away, and the Fashion Mall is right across the freeway - construction in front of the lobby should be finished by the end of 2025 Cons: - gym was tiny and lacking: only 3 cardio machines (one elliptical that felt awkward) and one cable stations with fixed cable points; no free weights, towels, or watercooler cups

The hotel boasts an excellent central location, making it convenient for accessing various attractions and very close to the airport. The room facilities were generally fine; it wasn't as old and dilapidated as some reviews suggested. Most guests who aren't overly particular should find it acceptable. There were some homeless people on the surrounding streets, but not many, and it felt relatively safe.

The staff were friendly, and the room was spacious with a simple yet tasteful interior design. I also liked how big their bathroom was. There is free coffee and water, which was convenient. The courtyard has fire pits and couches for guests to cozy up, and there are smores that you can make during the evening.

Cute and quaint stay. The hot tub and pool were still not functioning during our stay, which was a disappointment for the kids. Other nice amenities for this area were that there was cable tv in the room and Wi-Fi available which other hotels I’ve stayed at in this area did not offer. I did not realize this hotel was actually located across the street from the water so it’s not actually waterfront as I had anticipated mentally when I thought about where The Tides was located. It’s still a very nice location and very close by to The Tides, though. I would stay here again. 

The room is large, the facilities are decent, the hotel shuttle bus is very good, the hotel is located on the bay and the scenery is very good

### **Review: Convenient Stay with Some Notable Drawbacks** --- ### **Location & Accessibility** The hotel is excellently situated for those requiring proximity to **LAX**, as well as local dining and shopping options. However, guests should be aware that while many amenities are nearby, the **walkability** of the immediate area is hindered by large intersections and heavy traffic, making it less than ideal for pedestrians. --- ### **Accommodations & Comfort** The guest rooms are notably **spacious** and the **bed was exceptionally comfortable**, providing a high standard of sleep quality. While the overall cleanliness of the room was satisfactory, there were two primary concerns: * **Odor:** Upon arrival, there was a **pervasive chemical scent** in the room, likely due to recent heavy-duty cleaning agents. * **Flooring:** The **carpeted areas felt somewhat sticky** to the touch, which detracted from the otherwise well-maintained space. --- ### **Facilities & Maintenance** * **Acoustics:** Prospective guests should note that the **bathroom plumbing was quite audible** and disruptive during the peak evening hours of 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. * **Parking:** On-site parking is limited exclusively to **valet service**, so please factor this into your travel budget and timing. --- ### **Conclusion** This property serves as a functional and spacious base for travelers prioritizing airport access and a comfortable bed. However, improvements to the flooring maintenance and plumbing acoustics would greatly enhance the guest experience.